Having a child makes you wonder what their future will look like. You realise that the choices you make today shape their tomorrow. Quite apart from the emotional legacies we leave behind, the way that our generation consumes resources determines which resources are left available to our children. This is something that our panelists are keenly aware of. It made them determined to conserve the resources we have, and make the most of what’s around them.

While Kamana of @mycocktail_life was an early adaptor of minimalism based on her parents’ example, Sushi of @beachwalkmuse and Nayantara of @mommyingbabyt started making sustainable choices as adults. Whenever you choose to embrace sustainability, or even if you’re considering where to begin, these inspiring women have plenty of easily implementable suggestions for you. In their opinion, even if one person were to make one change after hearing this podcast, it would be a great step in the right direction. The key lies in choosing a path that you can commit to happily.

Could you choose to buy clothes when you need them, rather than when you want them? And, when you buy, could you choose to buy second-hand clothes? If that’s outside your comfort zone, how about shopping for local products? Consider going to a tailor to get your clothes stitched rather than frequenting a fast-fashion store. And if you find that even that isn’t suitable, go ahead and buy what works for you – but make the most of it. Take a cue from the previous generation and reuse clothes until they’re fully worn out before repurposing them or passing them on. Donating clothes rather than throwing them out can make a massive difference to the size of landfills!

Sustainability can mean different things to different people. It is a purely personal choice based on preferences. While some may embrace veganism, others may choose to buy their dairy or vegetables from a co-op rather than the supermarket. While some may be comfortable with a no-poo method of cleaning their hair, others may choose to wash their hair less frequently, while still others may choose to only buy from brands with eco-friendly hair products. Ultimately, sustainability is about changing your mindset to think about how best you can consume the resources available to ensure they last longer.

As parents, the panelists talked about embracing breastfeeding and cloth diapering. They discussed how they’d made small changes to the way they celebrated their children’s birthdays, choosing to gift experiences rather than products. The aim isn’t necessarily to generate zero-waste, but to at least move towards generating low waste. Change begins here!